


The Armor Fitting

by jwriter819



Series: Armored Family [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe-No Powers, F/M, Kid Bucky Barnes, Kid Harley Keener, Kid Peter Parker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23725591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jwriter819/pseuds/jwriter819
Summary: Two months after the conclusion of A Family Armor...our favorite family is back! This time, they're learning what it means to be a real family and not just playing one on TV.See what their new life looks like as a three day period sheds like on their strengths and weaknesses helping them to finally find an amor that fits.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: Armored Family [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1702042
Comments: 15
Kudos: 49





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Here's the first installment of the epilogue followups that I have planned. 
> 
> Please note that verbally the family will use the new character names while in thought they'll use the typical character names. I thought this would easiest for everyone to understand. :) 
> 
> Without any further delay...

**Day One**

Emma “Pepper” Armstrong took her time tidying up the room that she shared with her husband. Each time that she thought of the man her stomach started to flutter. It had been only a couple of months since they had left Florida as the Amor family and took on completely new identities as the Armstrong family. 

Pepper loved being an Armstrong. 

As a family, things had never been better. She had a husband who loved her, three sons who were growing into great men, and a baby on the way with the man of her dreams. When she was a Mallone or a Potts or an Amour things hadn’t been this great, but now she was so excited to take family pictures. For once things seemed complete and whole. 

Pepper fluffed the pillow on her bed happily. It had been over a year since she could actually use the money in her own bank account to pay for things. She didn’t like to seem vain, but she needed her two thousand thread count sheets. 

It was also nice to be able to have a say in the house that they lived in. When they were in more danger they hadn’t been able to choose what type of home they got or where the kids went to school. This time, she was able to request more control over their new identities and it was probably the best request she’d ever been granted. She and Tony were able to make all of these choices together and she had loved every minute of it. They were homeowners now of a beautiful estate that they would be able to raise their children on and have their grandchildren come and visit. That was what she had wanted with the boys’ father, but she realized having it with Tony was so much better.

She hadn’t been able to say it before when they were agent and assignment, but she could say it now; she was madly in love with Tony. He was her dream man. The love that he had for her and her children was unmatched by anyone else. When he was around she could see them all relax knowing that he would protect them. 

He was their armor and they were his. 

Together, nothing could defeat them.

~/~

Harley flew through the air with a pillow landing it smack on Tony’s head. The man spun around growling playfully. “You little sneak!” Harley chuckled deviously while Peter...wait, where did Peter go? Tony spun around before he was hit with another pillow.

“I got you,” the little boy shrieked! Tony frowned slightly before rushing forward and throwing Peter into the air causing the boy to crash land on his bed. Harley scrambled backward but Tony was quicker and he tossed the boy down next to his brother. The pain shot through his arm and he hissed. 

“That was a bad idea,” he said. The boys stopped giggling and leaned toward him.

“Are you ok,” Harley asked. Tony nodded, still feeling it a bit. 

“Yeah, champ. Just pulled something a bit,” he said sitting on the bed. Peter bit his lip before tentatively moving toward Tony.

“Was it my fault?” Tony scrunched his face and pulled the boy to him with his good arm. It seemed like no matter how many times they told him that getting kidnapped wasn’t his fault, the boy still didn’t get it.

“No baby, Daddy’s arm just hurts.” Peter sniffed and Tony shook his head. He was still super sensitive. Peter climbed into Tony’s lap, but Tony could feel Harley trying to stop him.

“Miles, don’t do that. Daddy’s hurting,” Harley told his brother. 

“Hey, it’s ok JJ,” he said, turning to the older boy. “Why don’t you guys get in your beds and I’ll read to you?” Peter climbed out of Tony’s lap sadly but climbed into his bed. Tony pulled Harley’s chair in the center of the room right smack in between Harley’s robot covered bed and Peter’s Lego covered one. 

Picking up the book, he turned to the page they’d last left on and started to read. “He had started learning karate when he was six years old. One afternoon, with no explanation, Ian Rider had taken him to a local club for his first lesson and he had been going there, once a week, ever since. Over the years he had passed through the various Kyu-student grades.”

“Daddy! Can we take karate?” Harley rolled his eyes and threw his pillow across the room at Peter’s sudden interruption. 

“Shutup Miles! Let Daddy read, we’re not gonna get nowhere with your stupid questions.” Tony expected Peter to clam up like he normally did, but instead, he jumped up and tried to attack his brother. Tony was quick enough to reach out and grab Peter around his middle stopping him.

“Back in bed, Miles,” he said trying to hide his smile.

“But Daddy,” Peter said before grumbling under his breath and stomping back toward his bed. Tony gave him a pointed look as the boy glared at him. 

"Get in your bed," the told the boy. Finally, Peter did so and Tony grabbed the pillow that Harley had thrown.

Turning to the older boy he said, “Be nice.” Tony picked up the book again and continued to read. “But it was only the year before that he had become a first-grade Dan, a black belt. When he had arrived at Brookland School, his gentle looks and accent had quickly brought him to the attention of the school bullies; three hulking sixteen-year-olds. They had cornered him once behind the bike shed. The encounter lasted less than a minute. The next day one of the bullies had left Brookland, and the other two had never troubled anyone again.”

About fifteen minutes later, Tony stood up and got hugs and kisses from both boys before he turned off the light. 

“I love you, Daddy,” Peter called out sleepily. 

“I love you too, Bug.” With a smile, Tony closed the door. Glancing at his watch he smiled, if he hurried he could go tinker in the shop for a couple of hours before Pepper would be waking up from her nap. 

~/~

An hour and a half later, Tony made his way into the house. The kitchen light was on, shocking him a bit. Who was still up? When he turned the corner he found Bucky sitting at the counter in a tank top leaning over a textbook while a video played in the background. “Do my eyes deceive me?’ Bucky snorted and didn’t lookup. “You’re doing homework instead of playing video games? What has this world come to,” Tony mocked as he moved to get a drink from the fridge. Bucky stopped the video but kept his eyes on the textbook. “That's more homework?” 

The teen shook his head. “Naw, just doing some last-minute review.” Moving around the island with his bottled water, Tony sat down at the counter. He glanced at the other stack of books on the counter and shook his head in admiration. In many ways, the teen in front of him was vastly different than the boy Tony had met a little over a year ago. This Bucky was more relaxed, he also had a drive and determination that Tony hadn’t seen before. Almost since they hit the ground, Bucky had been researching about joining the military or something of the sort. He had been looking into it with a fervent passion so much so that he’d elected to start extra classes at a local university to help him boost his GPA to increase his chance to get into a new exclusive military academy that was starting. Between that and the teen’s relentless training regimen, he found himself filling with pride at the progress his son had made.

“The big test is tomorrow, right?” 

“Yeah,” Bucky said looking up surprised.” Tony scoffed as he moved toward the fridge to get a banana. “How’d you know?”

“You’re my kid, give me more credit than that,” he said shaking his head. Glancing off to the side he could see Bucky’s unease. Tony moved behind the teen and placed a kiss on the back of his head. “Don’t stress yourself, buddy. You’re ready for this.”

“Thanks,” the teen replied, not sounding as confident as Tony would have liked. Sitting back down he watched Bucky get back to work. Tony smirked at the new bond they were building. When they first met neither of them could stand each other, and now it seemed like they were becoming joined at the hip. Every day for the last month or so Bucky would ride with Tony to the shop to help him order supplies and set up. When they weren’t working, Tony was assisting Bucky with his accelerated course work.

It didn’t shock Tony that Bucky was just as bright as his brothers, but for some reason, he never got the notoriety that they did. When he’d asked the boy had shrugged like it was no big deal. He suspected it had something to do with James Sr., but he never pressed it. Sliding his phone out, Tony glanced at his messages. He was realizing that being a new store owner was way more complicated than he ever imagined. Permits, codes, inventories, store layouts, was driving him crazy. Rubbing his hand against his forehead he looked up to see Bucky looking frustrated. 

“Ax, take a deep breath, bud.” Bucky shook his head but didn’t lookup. “You don’t have to overdo it.” With an annoyed huff, Bucky dropped his pen.

“I know. I just didn’t get to review this chapter like I wanted because I had to mop downstairs now I just feel all this pressure because I wanted to go over some more material.” Tony frowned, the boys were supposed to do that earlier.

“Why’d you have to mop?”

“I don’t know. It was all sticky and gross. I didn’t want Mama to worry about it tomorrow.” Tony made a mental note to talk to her about it when he went back upstairs. The boys were getting away with murder these days and he wasn’t sure why. 

“Ok, I’ll handle that. What I need you to do is relax. Stressing yourself isn’t going to help you.” Tony reached out for the book and Bucky raised his eyebrow. “Give me the book, I’ll go over it with you.” 

“You don’t have to do that. I know you’re tired. Get some rest.” Tony fought not to roll his eyes.

“Axel. Give me the book.” 

“Dad, stop. It’s ok.” 

“Ok, I know that you don’t think you need help or maybe that you don’t deserve it, I’m not sure. All I know is that you could use a hand and I’m offering you one. Just take it.” Bucky sighed before sliding the book toward Tony. “We’ll review for an hour then you’re going to bed.” Bucky opened his mouth to object, but Tony cut him off. “No, you’ll be too tired to do your best if you stay up any longer. Dad’s law.” At that Bucky rolled his eyes. “Alright where are we starting,” he asked, turning the page. 

~/~

Walking up the stairs, Tony whistled to himself. With everything all set, he was for once going to get a good night’s sleep. Bucky was feeling confident in his abilities and had been sent to his basement room with a smile and a promise for ice cream when he nailed his test. The little boys were down and now he just hoped Pepper didn’t wake up again tossing her cookies. He didn’t mind helping her stay calm, but it made him feel terrible that he couldn’t help her. He also hated that horrid smell. 

Yuck.

A thump and an ‘Ow’ rang out causing him to pause. “Ssh! You want Daddy or Mama to hear you?” Tony stopped and looked at the faint light that was creeping under the little boys’ door. Why were they up so late? Without knocking he popped the door open to see Harley standing on his bed with a sword drawn and Peter holding a plastic lightsaber on the other side. Both boys were wearing headlamps. With a quick glance around the room, he noticed that it was definitely dirtier than when he’d put the boys to sleep earlier. So this was why they were sleepy at camp every day. 

Liars. 

“Hi Daddy,” Peter said innocently. Tony flicked on the light and saw the boys were both wearing vests that looked like some sort of costume 

“You know it’s eleven thirty and I’m pretty sure I put you two in bed three hours ago. Funny how you’re both not asleep and also playing. Care to explain?” Peter immediately ran and jumped on the bed to stand behind Harley for protection. 

“We couldn’t sleep,” Harley said lamely. Tony clicked his teeth.

“Yeah, and you just decided to get up and run around the room?” Harley bounced his head in affirmation.

“We thought it would tire us out, right Miles?” Peter nodded but not before hiding himself further behind Harley.

“Yep,” he said quickly. Tony sighed, neither of them were great liars. He cocked his head to the side and used his index finger to point them toward him. 

“Come here,” he said. Both boys sighed and jumped down onto the floor. He gestured for them to sit at his feet which they did. “What’s the deal guys? Why weren’t you in bed?” 

“We went, we just weren’t tired,” Harley said. Tony stared at them looking for signs of lying.  
“Why all of a sudden are you not tired?” The boys glanced at each other and there was his sign. He knew something was up. “Well?” 

“We um, been taking naps when Mama takes naps,” Harley said to which Peter looked surprised before nodding. Tony sighed. Harley used to be better at lying. 

“So if I ask your mama she’ll say that’s what’s been happening? Not that you’ve been skipping chores to play and sleeping at camp?” The boys tried to not show their concern, but once again they failed. “Alright, you two know better. When it’s bedtime that means go to sleep. No playing, no talking. Right?” They both nodded. “And you’re supposed to do your chores without reminders, right?” Again they nodded but this time glancing at each other and tensing. Tony stood up intending to drive the point home, “So, I think you two need a reminder about rules and not to lie.” Peter’s lip started to wobble and Harley looked dejected. He gently pulled Harley up by the arm intending to lay a quick set of smacks against his shorts, but instead, the nine-year-old angled his torso away from Tony’s reach.

“We’ll be good! I promise!” Tony jerked Harley forward and the boy wormed his way into the carpet. “Can we do chores instead?” Tony rolled his eyes at his son’s persistence and used his other arm to pull the boy up. “Like Ax, please!” Tony paused as he frowned; they were too young to chop firewood or rake the yard well. “Extra chores, um we’ll clean something for you we promise!” 

"Well remember for real," Peter added in. Tony looked at the boys who were already on the verge of tears and he sighed. It was hard enough to punish them, but with those pitiful faces, it was unbearable.

“Fine, tomorrow you’re going to wash your Mama’s car and vacuum it out.” They both nodded. “And I better not hear anything else about you skipping out on your chores, understand?” They nodded quickly. Tony gently let Harley go and the boy sighed with relief. “Alright, it’s time for bed.” Leaning down he got kisses from both boys and another hug. “Tomorrow is going to be better, right?” 

“Yes, Daddy,” they said already in their beds. 

“Love you rascals.”

“Love you too, Daddy,” they chirped back. 

As he closed the door he heard Harley hiss at Peter, “Miles you stupid baby! We almost got spanked because of you!” 

“You hit me hard,” Peter shot back. 

“If you’d just kept your mouth shut Daddy wouldn’t have known. Now we can’t play no more and we gotta do chores. Stupid.”

The two boys started bickering back and forth and Tony figured he should say something. Turning around he moved quickly back toward the boys' room and opened the door. "Go to bed," he said firmly. "Next time I won't be so nice." The two boys nodded at him as he closed the door. 

"Dummy," he heard Harley hiss quieter. 

"When Daddy spanks you I'm gonna laugh," Peter shot back. Tony knew he should say something, he really did, but the smirk on his face would have given him away.

Man, he loved those kids. They cracked him up.

Still shaking his head Tony made his way down the hallway toward the bedroom that he shared with Pepper and got ready for bed. He brushed his teeth and washed his face quickly before climbing into bed. Pepper instantly had curled herself into his side. He couldn't help it when the smile crawled across his lips. His day had been dreadfully long, but it had also been full. He could only hope that tomorrow would be as wonderful as today.

With that same smile on his face he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Day Two**

********

********

“Dad, get up,” the voice said from far away. Tony rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. He felt a shove. “Come on, let’s go.” Rolling over Pepper pushed Tony. 

“Babe, boy one is calling you,” she mumbled. Tony turned toward her before opening his eyes and looking around. He saw Bucky standing there already in sweats and a hoodie.

“Ugh. What?” 

“Dad, we’re supposed to go on a run then you’re taking me to get my dress clothes an’ stuff,” the markedly deep voice said. Tony grunted before burying his face back in the pillow. 

How did he end up with these things? 

“Babe, go with him,” Pepper said pushing him with her hand.

“Dad, come on, we’re gonna be late.”

“Ok, I’m coming,” he said annoyed at all of the pestering. Tony fully anticipated Bucky to leave the room, but instead, he found himself being bodily manhandled by the once straggly teen. “Ok, I’m up!” Sitting up he rubbed his eyes and looked up at the teen in front of him. Bucky had just undergone a growth spurt and was now just slightly shorter than Tony even though he was still mostly legs. Unlike the Harley, Peter, and Pepper, Bucky’s dark brown hair was dyed black like Tony’s. A part of him couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. A year ago, this scene never would have happened, but thanks to a lot of hard work and intentionality on both their parts they were really becoming family. 

“Come on old man, the sun’ll be up soon,” the teen said smirking. Tony nodded and stretched before moving to the bathroom and quickly changing. Not even five minutes later they were in on the long driveway that led away from their home running at a brisk pace to start. They had warmed up a bit, but for Tony it was easiest just to run and gradually pick up the pace. 

This was supposed to be a part of his recovery, but more than anything it was building the relationship that he wanted with Bucky. Every morning, they ran and each time he learned more about Bucky than the day before. So if he had to choose to kill himself running or building a relationship with his son, he’d suffer the need for IcyHot any day. 

“Are you excited,” Tony asked as they rounded a curve leading them toward the path they liked to run. 

“Yeah, I guess. Everyone says it’s no big deal though.” 

Tony didn’t have to look at Bucky to know that was a diversionary tactic. “You were chosen to represent the region. That’s a big deal.”

“I know,” Bucky said, starting to run a bit faster. “I’m excited, I guess.” 

“What’s wrong, Ax, talk to me?”

“It’s Ma. I don’t think she wants me to go to the retreat. You know ‘cause it’s in Toronto.” That made sense. After everything that happened, it made sense for Pepper to want to keep her babies close. Especially since it was Bucky who endured the most damage from their hunt to get Peter back. Still though, as hard as he had been working and managing to get chosen out of hundreds of other kids after only being there for barely a month Bucky deserved it. 

There was no way that Tony was gonna let him give that up. 

“You want to go though, right?” 

“Of course. I just don’t want to make her feel bad or stress her, you know?” Tony shook his head. How’d he end up with such a good kid? 

“We’ll figure it out, ok?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, you deserve this Ax. So don’t worry about it.”  
“So I can go? For all three days?” 

“Yeah, kid. You earned it and you really want it. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her.” 

“Thanks, Dad.” 

“You’re welcome. Now, tell me about this academy again,” Tony said as they picked up their pace.

~/~

The morning had started early for Pepper. She had woken up feeling nauseous and it had continued just until sunrise. Of course, as soon as Tony and Bucky had left she ended up puking her guts out. 

She was convinced the baby was rebelling against her.

After that she’d pulled herself out of the bathroom and managed to somehow make herself look presentable she tried to start her day. Unfortunately, the day had other plans. Here she was a little over four months pregnant and she was dealing with roadblock after roadblock. First, there was an issue with the internet, then she discovered that one of the boys had left several bowls of cereal in the pantry that had molded over, and she was feeling the pinch of pregnancy fatigue like crazy. As much as she loved her new life, things were just crazy right now.

It was just over two months ago that they had landed in Canada and things hadn’t stopped moving since. First, they had to find a house, jobs, get the boys enrolled in school, acclimating to a brand new environment, and a zillion other things that seemed never-ending. None of that would have been a problem for her, but for some reason, she was having the worst nausea and fatigue. Which meant that Tony was having to shoulder more of the load along with his own job. For someone who loved to be ready and available, it was hard to feel saddled on the sidelines. So she pressed on. She made do with what she had and hoped that somehow Tony would feel her pain and come home early.

She chuckled to herself at the thought. Tony was trying to create a new business and offer them a sense of normalcy. It was funny that as much as she wanted to settle down and have a white picket fence, so did she. It made her heart warm to see Tony riding his altered moped up the driveway after a long day at the shop, but it made her smile even bigger when Bucky accompanied him. It was so amazing to see them finally developing a bond. With the two little ones, it was almost instant, but she could see Tony and Bucky really becoming father and son and it was just so perfect. 

In a way, they were what the other had needed. Tony needed Bucky to show him that it was ok to fight for what he wanted and for Bucky Tony showed him the truth behind what it meant to be a man. For what felt like the millionth time, she was ecstatic that Tony had come into their lives. 

~/~

Harley and Peter found themselves battling in an epic game of Mario Kart Deluxe on their Switches. Both boys were dressed the day even though neither of them had brushed their teeth or hair. Peter wiped his mouth with the back of his hand to stop the juice from sliding down his lips. 

“Don’t spill that, Miles,” Harley said, not looking up.

“I’m not gonna. Sides it’s your cup. I’ll tell Mama an’ Daddy it was you.” Harley rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, but your mouth is blue so yeah.” Peter glared at his brother. “Didn’t think of that, did you stupid?” 

“Shutup,” Peter said. Harley cackled as he slammed his cart into Peter’s. “Hey! You cheated.”

“All is fair in Mario Kart, Bug.” Peter dropped his toy and moved to his bed grabbing a plastic toy ball.

“We gotta clean up the car like Daddy said right?” Harley stood up still playing his game but sitting on his own bed.

“Yeah, but we can do it later. As long as we do it before he gets home it’s ok.” 

“You sure? He was real mad last night.”

“Stop worrying so much, Bug. Remember what Kyle said? His Mama don’t tell on him at all and Mama’s been doing the same. Just play it cool.” Peter bit his lip. 

“You sure it’s ok? Mama seems sad?”

“Yeah, I think we just gotta stop doing it so much now. We don’t want her to feel bad.” 

“Or tell Daddy,” Peter said definitely. 

“Right. We don’t want that. So we’re only gonna do it when we need too, ok?” 

“Ok. Hey, let’s play laser tag!” Harley jumped off his bed. 

“Let’s do it!” 

~/~

Pepper heard a thump upstairs and was snapped right out of her good mood. Once again the boys had been too tired to go to camp and she hadn’t wanted to spend the money for them to sleep the day away so she let them sleep until just before lunch. She usually liked the pitter-patter of little feet, but today it was aggravating. So far she’d done two loads of laundry, swept the floor, and had wiped down all of the counters. The latter two of which were Harley and Peter’s chores. It had been weeks since they’d done their chores without being asked. Since they were babies she had made it known that the family functioned when everyone worked together. So of course, with this new willful disobedience, she was increasingly losing her patience with them. They knew better, but it was like they didn’t care, well they didn’t until it was like an hour before Tony got home from his store. At which time the boys would scramble and get their chores done at rapid speed. 

It annoyed her to no end. 

They used to respect her unquestionably. Sighing, she knew that some of it was her fault. Guilt ate at her for the pain she’d caused them. Why had she made Tony leave? Why had she chosen to give them such a crappy father? Why didn’t she press for a better agent? Everytime Peter woke up from a night terror it was almost impossible for her to discipline him the next day.

She had failed her baby. 

Pepper took a step and landed on a sharp toy. Hissing she gritted her teeth. “JJ, Miles please come and pick up your toys!”

“In a minute Mama,” one of them called out from upstairs. Pepper was not in the mood. She made her way over to the stairs and banged on the wall. 

“Now,” she snapped. Both boys came running down the hall then, down the stairs, and past into the room making her smile. Finally, she was getting the respect she deserved. Turning to go into the kitchen she sighed when her respect had lasted all for thirty seconds. They weren’t picking up their toys, they were playing with the toy swords they found on the floor. “Guys, I’m serious. I need your help,” she said. 

“Just hold on, Mama,” Harley said. “We’re playing a little bit.” 

“Yeah, just one second,” Peter said. Pepper shook her head and turned. Today was too long of a day. 

Pepper felt her lip starting to tremble. She didn’t want the boys to see it so he put her hand up to her face. She was too tired to argue. Pulling out her phone she dialed Tony’s number. He needed to come home. As hard as it was to admit, she just couldn’t deal with this. 

She needed help.

Harley gasped and jumped off the couch. “No Mama, please don’t call Daddy we’ll be good!” Somehow in the midst of the excitement, she got an arm in her back which caused her to stumble slightly and land on something with wheels. It was in slow motion that she felt herself crashing to the floor. Using her hands she did her best to break her fall. Letting out a scream she winced and held her stomach. 

~/~

The day had been going well for Tony. He’d gotten almost everything done that he wanted to at the store and it was perfect. He was able to drive himself over to the school to wait for Bucky to finish his test. He didn’t have to wait long though. He saw the teen walking out of the building with a tall girl with red hair. He watched on in silence as Bucky tried to speak to the girl looking as unsure of himself as ever. 

Tony couldn’t stop his smile. Oh to be fifteen again. With a goofy look on his face, the boy descended the steps before spotting Tony. “Dad? What are you doing here?” Tony smirked at the bewildered look on his son’s face.

“Well, I figured I’d take you out for ice cream and some pizza to celebrate.” Bucky gave him a funny look.

“How do you know that I did well?” 

“You’re my son, right? I’m sure you knocked it out of the park.” Bucky gave him a matching smirk before ducking his head in embarrassment. “You did, didn’t you? That’s my boy! Come on, let’s celebrate!” Bucky turned around looking to see if anyone he knew saw Tony’s arm around his shoulders. “What are you looking at?” A mischievous sparkled across his eyes. “Are you embarrassed?” Bucky knew that look and tried to pull away, but Tony was quicker and planted a big kiss on Bucky’s cheek. “I love you!” Mortified Bucky pulled away and stepped backward before scrambling toward the car. Tony cackled all the way toward the car. 

“I can't believe you did that,” Bucky groaned slamming the door shut. Tony was still laughing as he clicked his seatbelt into place. 

“I love doing that.” Tony’s smile grew wide. “Last week when the boys wouldn’t get up, I dropped them off at camp wearing a Ninja Turtles pajama set with a plastic sword and all.” Bucky gasped.

“You didn’t!”

“Oh, they were mortified,” Tony said cackling. “I added a couple of kids and horrible attempts at flips to put icing on the cake.”

“You’re evil.”

“I am. I so love embarrassing my kids.” Usually Tony would try to calm the statement down by downplaying his role in their lives, but this time he didn’t. These were his kids and he was their father. This time he and Pepper agreed they would be a team in every aspect of life including raising their children. 

“Thank you,” Bucky said, cutting into Tony’s thoughts. He raised his eyebrow at the teen as he pulled onto the road. 

“For what?”

“Being our dad.” Ok, Tony didn’t expect that like at all.

“You’re welcome. I love you guys,” 

“We love you too. Not to get weird or anything, but you do all these things for us and we’re not even biologically related to you. I don’t know many men who’d do that. I mean you’ve been studying with me day and night plus still helping Mama and trying to keep the boys from killing themselves. It’s a lot and well you don’t have to, so thanks.” 

Tears found their way into Tony’s eyes. He knew that things were changing between them, but it was amazing to hear the teen voice his understanding of the predicament that Tony was in. “You’re a good kid, Ax.” Not wanting to deal with more emotional mumbo jumbo, Tony changed the subject.  
“So you’re definitely getting into that prep school now,” Tony said.

“I hope so,” Bucky said leaning back into the seat, ”they said they’d call me before the end of the week.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get in,” he said before his phone buzzed. “I mean you’ve got some amazing scores. They’d be dumb to not accept you. Hold on, let me take this,” Tony said clicking the accept button. 

“Hello?”

“Mr. Armstrong?”

“Yes, who’s this?”

“This is Nicole Pierce from down the street. Your son JJ ran to my house about an hour ago saying that Emma had fallen. We rushed her to the hospital and they’re seeing her now.” 

The world stopped.

“Why didn’t s-someone call me?” 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t have your number and Emma didn’t know where hers was. I finally got it when JJ remembered that it was on the fridge in the kitchen.” 

“Do you know what happened?” 

“I don’t, I’m sorry.” Tony felt his breath starting to catch and his lungs were tightening in his chest.

This was panic.

“Is she ok?” 

“So far they say everything looks good, but they’re still checking her. I’ve got my daughter staying with your boys while I wait with her ok?” Tony’s ears turned into cotton. His wife, his baby, what if he lost them both? Could he raise the boys alone? He just found Pepper and now he could lose her? 

“Dad!” Tony barely registered Bucky’s voice. “Dad, pull over!” Tony didn’t respond. “Dad, you gotta stop.” Sucking in a deep breath Tony pulled over to what he hoped was the side of the road. What if something happened to Pepper, what about the baby? What if? He didn’t know how long he sat there feeling his chest squeeze itself tighter and tighter, but it felt like forever. Suddenly like the sun piercing the sky, Tony felt a cold hand rest on his wrist. Blowing out a breath he blinked before opening his eyes. “It’s me, Dad, just breathe.” And breathe Tony did. With each moment the breaths became just a bit easier. “Ok, Mom just texted she said she's on her way home. See? She’s ok, just take another deep breath.” Tony closed his eyes and tried to breathe. He let himself slump over the steering wheel before taking another deep breath. 

“Babe? Can you hear me? It’s me. Relax. I’m ok,” Emma said through the speakerphone. Tony felt his eyes grow moist with relief at the sound of her voice.

“Oh, baby. Are you ok?”

“I’m fine. I promise. Nicole’s going to drive me home. Are you ok?” 

“I’m managing,” he said trying not to sound as freaked out as he felt. 

“Relax babe and I’ll see you soon. Just get home safely. Love you.” With that, it felt like someone had cut Tony’s cords. He slumped back into the driver’s seat. 

“Dad?” 

“Yeah, bud.”

“You ok?” Tony could hear the concern in Bucky’s voice and guilt washed over him. 

“Ax, I am so sorry. I should have been better. I-I shouldn’t have freaked out like that.” The teen rolled his eyes.

“You’re human and you were scared. I mean it’s a reasonable response.”

“I’m the adult, you’re the kid. It’s my job to protect you.”

“Seriously? I’m not your typical kid and we’re not the typical family. It’s ok if you have a moment, you’re human. Besides aren’t you and Ma always telling me that it’s ok to ask for help or to lean on someone?”

“Axel, please don’t compare the two. It’s a man’s job to protect his family.”  
“Well, I’m closer to a man than a kid now, and you’re my family so it’s my job to protect you too. I’ve been doing it my whole life already, my family I mean.”

“Bucky you’re fifteen.” Tony winced at using his son’s old name, but there wasn’t much to do about it now. 

“I’ll be sixteen in a couple of months. Come on, you said it yourself last night, we all deserve someone to help us. All I did was help you. If it was anyone else wouldn’t you want me to do the same?” Tony sighed and let himself laugh. “What?”

“It looks like the student’s becoming the teacher.” Bucky grinned shyly up at him. Tony rubbed his hand against the back of the boy’s neck. “Let’s get home.” 

~/~

As soon as they got home, Tony rushed to see their mom, but Bucky went off in search of their brothers. He knew his parents would get mushy and he didn’t want to see that...at all. He climbed the stairs and made his way to the boys’ room. Bucky didn’t bother to knock on the door. He knew that they were inside probably freaking out over what happened. Sure enough, he found Peter was sitting on the floor holding his knees to his chest while Harley was sitting at his desk running a small car across the top. It was easy to see that they had been crying.

“What’s up nerds?” Before the words got out of Bucky’s mouth, Peter was running toward him. “Hey, little guy, what’s wrong?”

“We hurt Mama!” Bucky sighed as he sat himself down on Peter’s twin-sized bed. 

“Calm down, Miles,” he tried to soothe his brother. “Just tell me what happened.” Harley spun around looking distraught. His blue eyes were shining in the midst of his red face. 

“We was um playing and Mama kept asking us to pick up and do our chores, but we didn’t. Miles and me were playing with swords and slipped on one of our cars,” Harley said looking ashamed. Bucky winced. 

When Tony heard that story he was going to be pissed. 

“Daddy’s gonna be so mad at us,” Harley gasped out. “We played too late last night and we were supposed to be good and clean Mama’s car today.” Bucky was at a bit of a loss. He knew that they were in trouble, but to see them look so pitiful was hard. It frustrated him to no end. They knew what they were supposed to do they had done it for years, why all of a sudden were they acting like numbskulls? 

“Why didn’t you guys just pick up when she asked you to?” Peter looked down while Harley sat down dramatically on his bed. “What?” 

“We thought she’d do it for us,” Harley said. 

“Huh? When does Ma ever do your chores for you?” Peter slid away from Bucky while the teen looked around confused. Ever since their arrival, he’d been spending most of his time getting extra credits to be eligible to start at a new military school in the area. Between that and helping Tony at his new shop, he didn’t get home until late and barely saw his brothers. He figured his parents would watch out for them, now though he wondered if he should be a bit more hands-on. Especially if they were getting stupid ideas like this in their heads. “Guys, what do you mean?” 

“If we um, just keep playing or um don’t pay her attention, she’ll do them for us,” Harley said so quiet Bucky almost didn’t hear. 

Wait, what?

“Are you two serious? You know better. You two have been doing chores since you were three years old. Why all of a sudden do you think it’s ok to not do them?” 

“Bucky, we wasn’t trying to hurt her,” Peter screeched. “For real! We just didn’t want to stop playing.” The little boy wiped his eyes. Bucky shook his head at the room that was in disarray. 

“We didn’t know that was going to happen,” Harley said. 

“You guys know that we have to help each other, especially Mama. She’s pregnant. You guys see how tired she is all the time.” 

“We know that,” Harley shot indignantly. “We’re not stupid.” 

“Yeah well, you’re not acting like it. You’re supposed to be helping her out, not making her more tired. Come on guys wake up!” Peter sniffed again. Bucky rubbed his eyes. “You guys know better. Seriously, what’s going on with you?” 

“Well Mama isn’t as you know mean as she used to be,” Harley said. 

“What?”

“She’s not. We used to get time outs and sent to our rooms, but now she says it but then doesn’t do it,” Harley said. “Like if we just go to another room or outside when we come back she’ll have them done for us.”

“So why was today so different, huh,” Bucky asked, getting more pissed off by the second. “Well?” 

“Today though, I guess we were too bad because she was gonna call Daddy.” Of course, Bucky thought bitter. “I tried to stop her but that’s when me and Miles moved and she slipped on our toy.” The door slammed open and all three boys turned to see their dad looking positively furious. Bucky stood up and moved toward him. 

“Dad, calm down.” Tony glared a furious gaze at him. “Please, you’ll scare them,” he whispered. That seemed to calm Tony down thankfully.

“Ax, why don’t you go and get dinner started. I’m going to talk to your brothers.” The teen raised his eyebrow but Tony shook his head. “Go start dinner,” he said more firmly. 

Bucky nodded but not before adding as he walked by, “Go easy on them, they didn’t mean to hurt her,” he said. Tony nodded as he patted the boy’s back before he left the room. 

“We’ll be down soon,” he said. 

~/~

A part of Tony couldn’t believe his ears. He had both boys sitting on Harley’s bed recounting their shenanigans and he was appalled. They had been purposely manipulating Pepper and ignoring almost every rule that was set in place. He didn’t know if he was more pissed off that they tried or that they’d been succeeding.

He had to admit that the other part of him understood where they were coming from. They were kids and ones who had been through a lot. This was the first time in over a year that they hadn’t been worried about being found. Not to mention they’d both either directly or indirectly experienced their brother and pseudo father getting shot. If he was a kid he may have gone off the rails a bit too. That didn’t mean he was going to let them off the hook though. 

“Come here, guys.” Both boys' faces started to crumble and he shook his head. “Hey no tears, I just want to talk some more.” Silently he pulled one both onto each of his knees. There was a bit of pressure on his lingering pains, but he ignored it. 

“Daddy, we didn’t mean to do all this stuff,” Harley said sadly.

“So why did you?” Harley shrugged. Tony turned to look at Peter who looked like guilt was absolutely eating him alive. “What do you think, Miles. Why’d you do it?” The little boy shrugged as well. “Now, don’t give me that. What made you do that?”

“It was fun,” the little boy said. “This boy at camp, Kyle, said um when his parents got divorced that he got to do whatever he wanted. He said his mama felt bad and if he just ignored her long enough she gave up.” Tony nodded, at least he knew that the devious idea hadn’t originated in their own minds. 

“But why did you do it? Why did you treat your mama like that?” Neither boy spoke. Tony contemplated his choices. He could spank them, but then what would they really learn? They’d already been talking for fifteen minutes and hadn’t really gotten very far. After taking a deep breath he remembered a time when he’d been rude to Ms. Anna. For the most part he was scared that Dean Jarvis would spank him, but then the punishment that Ms. Anna had given him was worse. “Ok here’s what’s going to happen. You two are going to write out why you think you thought it was a good idea to ignore your mama. I’m going to leave you two alone to work on it then we’ll talk some more, ok?” He slid both boys off his legs and looked at them. Pulling them both into a hug he laid kisses on the sides of their heads. “Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean we love you any less, ok?” 

“Ok,” Harley said.

“You’ve got thirty minutes and I’ll be back. Be ready by then,” he said with his authoritative voice.

“Yes, sir,” they echoed. 

~/~

A couple of hours later just as the sun was setting she woke up to the subtle knock on their bedroom door and the smell of paella. A smile came to her face as her two little men shuffled into the room looking all kinds of sad and apologetic. “Well hello there,” she said, pulling herself up into a sitting position. She knew they’d been worried about her after her fall. Harley had rushed to get Mrs. Pierce and Peter kept her company and called Tony for her. 

Her poor babies had been scared to death. 

The little faces glanced at each other before looking up at her. “We’re sorry, Mama we didn’t mean to make you fall,” Harley said.

Peter stepped forward with his own apology. “I’m sorry too. We won’t leave our toys on the floor anymore.” 

“And we won’t disrespect you anymore, Mama. We’re sorry,” Harley said firmly. Peter nodded next to his older brother. Pepper smiled at the boys who were really starting to act like her babies again. She knew that Tony’s influence helped curb them, but it was amazing to see just how his presence changed everything. That whole morning she’d been on them about listening to her and doing what they wanted. After a few hours with Tony they were being perfect gentlemen. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she saw the signs of distress in both her boys with a quick glance down the hall she could see Tony standing there watching. A smile came over her face. 

Oh.

“Come here boys,” she said. They moved toward her like a pack of wild dogs anxious for her embrace and she wrapped her arms around them eager to soothe them. No matter what anyone said, these were still her babies. “I know you both didn’t mean to make me fall and you already apologized ok? So now we move on and learn from our mistakes.” They nodded at her before she placed a kiss on their heads. 

“The boys also agreed to help you out. Tell her what you came up with to make it up to her,” Tony said entering the room. The boys glanced at each other before moving slightly closer to Pepper. She chuckled at them. Harley pulled out a sheet of paper.

“Um, to show you how sorry we are we’re going to make you breakfast tomorrow so you don’t have to get up and um we’re gonna do all of the house chores too. So you don’t gotta worry,” Harley said.

“Yeah, um we’re gonna do that stuff real good,” Peter said. Pepper looked up at Tony a bit confused before looking back at the boys. The boys, in turn, looked back at Tony for approval and direction. 

“Tell her what you mean guys,” Tony said. 

“Oh uh, we’re gonna do the dishes and wipe down the tables and um,” Harley said trying to read his handwriting.

“We’ll sweep and vacuum too. Daddy said he’ll help us with dinner,” Miles said. 

“Yeah, so you don’t gotta worry about lunch, Miles and me will do it for you. We’re gonna pay for it out of our allowance,” Harley said. 

Tony cleared his throat. “What else?” 

“Oh um, we’re gonna wake up when you call us for camp from now on and um if we don’t wake up then we have to go sit at Daddy’s shop all day with him,” Harley said with a frown. 

“But we’ll wake up ‘cause that’s no fun,” Peter added helpfully. Pepper tried to hide her smile. Both boys hated going to the shop because apparently despite all the computer equipment they weren’t allowed to touch anything. 

“And um, we’re going to help pay Ms. Pierce’s daughter to watch us in the afternoons so you can rest. We’re gonna do chores to pay Daddy back for it.” Harley turned to Tony. “Is that good, Daddy?” 

“Ask your Mama,” he said. The boys looked at Pepper pleadingly. With a proud smile, she nodded. Her little guys were becoming men. 

“It’s great, baby, thank you,” she said kissing their foreheads again. “That will help me out a lot.” They relaxed visibly before looking at their dad who nodded. 

“Alright boys, go eat your dinner then get ready for bed,” Tony said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. “Mama needs to sleep.”

“Yes, sir,” they echoed before slinking out of the room and closing the door behind them. Tony looked at Pepper who was smiling at him. 

“Come here,” she said sweetly. He smiled knowing that she was just as happy to see him as he was to see her. When he leaned in for the kiss she smacked him in the face with a pillow. 

“Hey! What was that for?”

“For spanking my babies! You monster.” Tony pulled away and rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, I’m the monster who enforces rules and keeps you safe. I told them not to leave their toys on the floor and you did too.”

“They felt bad already, you didn’t have to do that, Jude Armstrong.” He knelt down in front of her before grabbing her hands. 

“I know I scared you that one time, but you know I would never hurt the boys. I love them too much to do that.” She looked down and started to cry. “What? Ok, if it upsets you that much I won’t spank them anymore. I’m sorry.”

“No, no it’s not that.” She sniffed. “It’s just that you’re such a good father to them. Those three months without you were hell. He brushed the hair out of her face.”I know that you have to punish them sometimes, I just hate that you do. I guess I’m just a softy. I hate seeing them hurting.” 

“If it makes you feel better, Ms. Ana was always really weepy after I got spanked too. She hated it, but she knew it was important to my development. Just trust me, Pep. I promise I’ll only do it if it’s necessary.” She nodded. “If it makes you feel any better they both agreed they should get spanked.” 

“Are you serious? JJ and Miles agreed?”

“I asked them if they knew what they had done wrong and they said they did. Then I asked why they did something that was wrong when they knew it was. After a little waffling, they agreed it was because you were telling them to. They didn’t respect you enough to listen to you. We had a long discussion about respecting women and respecting you as their mother. Then we discussed the type of men they want to be when they grow up. They both agreed that they hadn’t been treating you with the respect you deserve for a long time and they felt badly about that. So together we all agreed that a spanking was the most fitting punishment,” he said, smirking. “They took responsibility and admitted their mistakes. You would have been proud.” He took that moment to climb up into the bed next to her. With the movement, Pepper winced a bit. “Are you ok?”

“Honey, relax. Please. I’m just a little sore.” Tony didn’t quite believe her, but he let it pass. 

“I was so scared today, Pep.”

“I was too.” For a while, they set in each other’s arms in silence. Pepper’s head was pillowed on Tony’s chest and he was holding her hand. 

“How did we get here?”

“What do you mean?”

“The boys. Babe, they’d been ignoring you for weeks and you didn’t tell me or stop them?” 

“Jude, please.”

“Pep, come on help me out here? We’re a team right?”

“I was feeling guilty, I guess. They were in so much pain when you were gone and then watching Bucky get shot, it was a lot. Between that and this fatigue, I was thinking straight” She rubbed her eyes. “I know I shouldn’t have let them get away with so much, but it’s hard to battle with them every day. It's easier to just give up and do it myself.” Tony’s heart broke hearing her. He knew that she was tired. He should have paid more attention to her and how she was feeling. 

“How about this? For now, you just try to rest and catch up. I’ll handle the boys.”

“That's not fair to you.”

“Pep, you raised them alone for how long? I can handle a couple of months. Besides, if you have one less thing to handle then you can concentrate more on our little bundle, right?” Pepper giggled as she placed her hand on Tony’s cheek.

“I guess if I have to be the human incubation system for your daughter that could be considered as easy trade.” Tony sputtered.

“It’s a girl?”

“Yep. You Mr. Armrstrong will soon be the father of a beautiful baby girl.” Tony felt tears coming to his eyes and this time he didn’t stop them. With everything in him, he loved his new life. He sat there with Pepper curled into his arms as they enjoyed the comfort of knowing that they were no longer alone. 

He wasn’t sure how long passed before a loud thump was heard followed by the sounds of shouting. He rubbed his face and started to move only to be stopped. “Let Ax handle it,” she said smiling.

“I really should go.” 

“Trust me, he can do it.” Sure enough a muffled, ‘knock it off’ rang out bringing a smug smile to his wife’s face. Together they laid there for a while longer before Tony decided that they did really need to get up. Untangling himself from Pepper he tried to sit up. 

“Alright, let me go make sure the monsters have started packing their bags for camp tomorrow.” Before Tony could stand Pepper pulled him back down for a kiss. “Or I could wait a few more minutes,” he said chuckling. A knock was heard and Tony sighed. 

Those kids had the absolute worst timing.

“Yeah,” he yelled out annoyed. Pepper smacked his chest.

“Come in,” she said in a much nicer tone. Turning onto his side they watched Bucky walk in the room with Peter in his arms and Harley trailing behind. 

“What do you want,” Tony almost growled. Pepper smacked him again to which he rolled his eyes.

“What do you guys need,” Pepper asked, shaking her head at her husband who was very annoyed at his missed opportunity. 

“We wanted to check on you,” Harley said. Pepper absolutely melted and reached out for her boys. Bucky deposited Peter on the bed and Harley climbed up in between them. Peter wrapped his little arms around her and buried his face in her chest. 

“Did you guys have burgers for dinner?” Harley made a face.

“How’d you know?” Pepper shook her head and clambered out of the bed rushing for the restroom. The boys turned to look at Tony confused. 

“Um your Mama gets nauseous sometimes.” 

“‘Cause of onions,” Peter asked confused. Tony laughed.

“Sometimes, Bug.” Pepper came back into the room smiling. “What?”

“Look at my boys,” she said, starting to tear up. “My little men and my big man.”

“Gross, Mama,” the little ones whined. 

Tony grabbed Harley and pulled him close to his chest. “What did you little blockers want,” he said with a tinge of heat behind it. He could distinctly hear Bucky talking about how gross that was but ignored it. 

“Well me and Miles was thinking. What did you mean when you said we have to be smart for each other?” Tony smiled at least they were thinking about what he had said. 

“What I meant is that you’re the big brother so when Miles here comes with some dumb idea you have to be able to tell him that’s a bad idea and help him stay out of trouble.” Tony turned to Peter who was still in Pepper’s arms. “And you that means if your brother comes with an idea that seems stupid you need to tell him that it’s a bad idea and not go along with it because he’s older. That make sense?” 

“Yeah, I understand,” Harley said. “I’m sorry Miles, I knew it was dumb when you said it. I should have stopped it.” Tony’s heart lurched in his chest. That was about the proudest he remembered being. 

“Me too, I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyway,” Peter said honestly. Tony glanced at Pepper who looked just as overjoyed as he did. Reaching out she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. ‘Thank you,’ she mouthed. Leaning over he placed a kiss on her lips. 

“You guys are gross,” Harley screeched, ruining the moment. Tony rolled his eyes. 

“Alright, get out. Go do stuff and get ready for bed,” Tony said swatting at the younger boys who giggled in his face. 

“You gonna read to us,” Peter asked. Tony nodded making both boys whoop with joy as they ran out of the room. Bucky stood up looking down at them.

“Can I go out for a bit? Curtis is having some guys over to do some riding.” Tony glanced at Pepper who smiled. 

“Go ahead, but be careful, ok?” Bucky nodded.

“Yes Ma, I’ll be very careful,” Bucky said smiling. 

“Be back by ten,” Tony called. Bucky nodded before closing the door. Leaning back, Tony sighed out before smiling at his wife. 

“Why that was very fatherly of you, Mr. Armstrong,” Tony smirked at her. 

“It’s one of my best attributes,” he said. 

“I can think of one more,” she said, giving him the look he loved to see. 

~/~

**Day Three ******

********

********

The next day found the entire Armstrong family staying close to home, well mostly. That morning they all woke up right around the same time which for them was highly unusual. Bucky dragged Tony out of bed for their morning run, but as a bit of a change, the two youngest chose to climb into bed with their mom and try to sleep a bit more with her sandwiched in between them. By the time Tony and Bucky were back the adorable scene was too much to break up so they grabbed showers and decided to grab a nap of their own. 

Sometime during the mid-morning Tony and each of the two younger boys helped to make breakfast while Bucky sat next to Pepper who was grilling him about everything in his life. In the end, they all somehow managed to eat right there in Tony and Pepper’s bed which Tony cringed at, of course. 

None of them had verbalized it, but it felt amazing to be able to rest. There wasn’t any fighting or bickering instead it was almost like a polaroid moment. 

As Pepper looked over the railing from the small porch she thought about the journey that had gotten them to this point. The fear and the ups and downs that almost cost them everything and now here they are basking in the gloriousness of freedom and safety. Laughter of her children was ringing richly in her ears as she watched on with a smile.

Harley was deep in a game of soccer with his friends. She loved how he had found an equalizer in soccer. He was no longer the shy little boy who lived in his head and could only relate to machines. Now, he was the life of the party and one of the biggest joys of her life. She let her eyes find her youngest boy who was leaning over a toy rocket that he was determined to shoot into the sky. She loved how his curious mind worked and she was more excited that finally, he was making friends. The fear that she had of him being a prisoner to his intellect was fading each day. 

“We got sandwiches!” Looking up she saw Bucky whooping through the air as he rode in next to Tony on their mopeds. Her heart filled with warmth at the scene. In one long look, she could see each of her boys. As she looked down at her baby still nestled in her stomach she couldn’t stop her smile. 

Their little girl was going to grow up with a family of people of all shapes, sizes, and struggles but somehow together they all seemed to fit.

And for Pepper, that was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on the first epilogue! Let me know what you think! 
> 
> Also, I have a new story coming up called "Shadow Child" It's a very dystopian MCU but with lots of IronDad and his spiderbaby so STAY tuned!

**Author's Note:**

> What do you guys think? Day Two will be posted soon.


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